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Redesigning my sewing room Part 2

Wow! Looks like I really hit a nerve last week – so many of you shared intimate details about your sewing room. I’m impressed with all the fabric organizing efforts even cutting swatches of fabric and making a catalog of your stash.

Some ideas really hit home like this one from Jimmie Beth’s: “I would pay someone $1000 to organize my space.”

And Jill said, “My embroidery machine is elevated at the same height as my elevated cutting table. I used a sturdy folding table and elevated it using ceramic flower pots turned upside down.”

After researching other ways to raise a table, I stumbled across a new-to-me blog: Sew Many Ways and found someone who also likes to elevate her work tables. I really love her tip for transforming any table into counter height – just add finials to the bottom of the legs. Read her post and scroll down for the details.

Want to take a look at one of the prettiest studio’s I’ve spotted on the web? Truth be told, I know my studio will never look like this. I’m just not that tidy – I work on multiple projects at one time therefore creating multiple messes. But hey a girl can still dream. I totally love the dress pattern Mod Podged onto the table top.

I loved hearing how many of you would like to (or already) have your embroidery machine at counter height. But I must confess I was most impressed with Jean who said she doesn’t use a chair – she sits on a fitness ball when she sews! Oh my, when I mentioned it to my 22-year-old-triathlon daughter, her face lit up. I’m waiting for the day when I walk into my sewing room and see a large ball has replaced my office chair!

Just like a kitchen redo, careful thought must go into redesigning a creative space. So for now, I’m taking notes, doing research, gathering ideas and devising a plan for my studio update. Meanwhile, I still have lots of projects in the works – one I’m really excited about is next week’s post. I’m working on a handbag pattern from Indygo Junction – part of Amy Barickman’s blog tour. Make sure to stop back and get in on the goods!

This week’s assignment:

Want to win a $25.00 gift certificate from Designs? Just tell me what blogs you visit on a regular basis and you’ll be entered into our random drawing for the gift certificate.

The winner of last week’s assignment answered the question:

Do you sit at your machine or stand? If you sit, would you prefer to stand? And one more thing, fabric storage. Is your stash as unwieldy as mine? Mine always seems to be a tumbling mess. I store my fabric in wire mesh baskets (hanging baskets) or stacked in a bookcase (sorted by color). I have an easier time of sorting my fabrics in the bookcase but the stacks tend to creep over one another (like melting crayons!). It’s colorful but not very tidy. The baskets are just a mess. I know what’s on top (the latest find!) but who knows what’s buried underneath. I wish I had small cubbies for folded fabric. How about you? What storage system do you use? What do you wish you had? That’s a lot of questions for one blog post but I hope you’ll take the time to answer because I need some direction. Leave your comment and you could win a Snap-Hoop this week.

The winner is… Pamela Beeth!

“It seems to me that the new-ish sewing furniture by a well-known manufacturer could be an answer. The furniture can be bought at three heights. I think the tallest set is comfortable for standing, yet there is a wheeled chair that is tall enough for one to sit in front of the machines. I have drooled over the furniture which I saw at at the International Quilt Show in Houston. I really liked the tallest arrangement the best because I could stand when needed as well as sit comfortably at a machine. The cabinet has a shelf for the machine foot that is at the correct ergonomic height even though the cabinet is tall. Also, there is more room below for storage and stuff.”

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91 Responses to Redesigning my sewing room Part 2

Virginia on June 6, 2012 at 12:01 pm

I visit the Hoopsisters blog most every day and the Nancy Zieman’s blog the Designs in Machine Emboridery and of course the Janome America blog. All of them have such great ideas and inspiration to inspire my sewing projects.

Thanks for all the sites with ideas for organizing and refreshing a sewing/craft studio. Mine needs a an overhaul and reorg which I plan to do while my husband is away in late July. Lots of great ideas and I am rethinking where i place my embroidery machine.

One thing I know I would like to do as part of this reorganization is to scan my fabric stash into an digital inventory file so I can start shopping my stash more efficiently when I start a project.

I like to read your blog on a weekly basis. I also visit Janome’s site and Sew4Home a few times a week to see cool projects and ideas. The main place I always check is my local sewing store. They are awesome!!!

Yours of course! Patchworktimes & fieldtripsinfiber for the monthly color palette challenge and fieldtripsinfiber for the color theory posts. Quiltersclubofamerica, for all the different quilting disciplines in one place. Creative Machine Embroidery for their tips and projects. A lot of others on an occasional basis. I love to see what everyone else is up to! Get lots of great ideas and some laughs and sighs along the way.

I try not to get too blog happy because I know I;ll easily get sucked in and use all my free time blog hopping. There’s so much great stuff available. Anyway, I check in on Designs, of course and Mark Lipinski’s. A new one for me is Terri Thayer as she has a new e-book that she’s releasing a chapter at a time, which I signed up for. Kind of fun–the anticipation builds each month.

I know you’re not looking for an affirmation of your blog, but I am sure that we who post, faithfully read your blog each week, as I do, but that you were looking for other cool blogs like yours. I get many weekly sewing emails, check sewing websites regularly and follow many other blogs that are not sewing related, but only one other sewing blog – Martha Pullen’s blog.

A couple of embroidery Yahoo groups — Hatched in Africa, Kenny Kreations — and also a bunch of quilting blogs that have giveaways and tutorials. I love the Moda Bake Shop tutorials so I follow a lot of their designers. Haven’t found a lot of ME blogs so I’m interested to read all the replies and see if I can find some fun ones.

I have a few that are group bookmarked (one buuton and they all open) – so, yours, Green Fairy Quilts, Pioneer Woman, Mark Lipinski, Timber Hill Threads, Sew Many Ways (love her tool time Tuesday), etc. I bring them up when I am eating breakfast and scan for new entries. Can’t wait to see your new sewing room

I loved your section on redesigning the sewing room…I have had a sewing house for a couple of yrs now and have tried it all it seems.. I have just come across an idea on fabric organizing that I love..
Note my fabric pieces are 1-5 yds
I too have a wooden bin that I rolled all my fabric and the stacks were getting higher and higher, so of course I could see everything but when I removed on piece of fabric the stacks would fall over.
I had a wire bathroom rack that was used for towels.. 5ft tall..open 4 sided square shelves approx 12 in apart…which limited how high I could stack it!!! I refolded my fabric 11×5… and put 2 stacks in each section..I then angled the stand so that I can see all sides (or at least 3) and sorted by season/color.
Now when I want to choose my fabric for a project..I just choose and pull out with no falling fabric everywhere.

I then used my wall unit space for larger yardage fabric purchases such as college prints that I leave on the cardboard bolt from store and stand upright like in the store..

In another bin I was able to use the cardboard bolts in the same way to wrap my trim/lace/Ribbon by the yard around and secure with pin..so I can see what I have to enhance a project then cut and repin. Before I had all this in a milk crate and had to dig
to see what I had and usually ended up buying something because it was easier than hunting for it.

Right now I only read your blog, Nancy Zeiman’s blog and Missouri Star Quilt Company blog. But I have already subscribed to a couple you mentioned in this posting.

You blogging about re-doing your sewing room could not have come a better time for me, I am just packing up my house for a move to the Dallas area and I get to set up a new (hopefully a little larger) sewing room…Yea…
Thanks for all of the inspiration you send our way!
Nancy

I subscribe to a few through Google Reader. My favorites are Modern Quilting Guild and Quilt Dad. I love to look at all the quilting things, especially the modern ones. Like buying those super expensive cook books just for the pictures

I have a variety of blogs I read daily. They range from wholesome values like Homestead Revival, Tillys Nest, Henblog to Quilting blogs like Patchwork Times and From My Studio to Sewing Blogs like LaSewista, Gertie’s New Blog for Better Sewing, Nancy Zieman Blog, Sew News, Sew Daily, of course Eileens Blog to Cooking Blogs and Picture taking Blogs.

I am a new sewer. Yours was linked somewhere I was browsing. Love sew Can She, many DIYs, repurposing blogs deal blogs, couponing, natures fabric. If I read less I would sew more! Also organize my copy paper and other boxes of fabric, supplies, and repurpose items.! New mommy and so many ideas, just need more action! Thanks for your posts. Trying to clean bachelors old office, where he insists the treadmill has to stay and his stuff, but I can sew too somehow! Lord help me!Cat box was a battle to get out if there!

I only visit 2 blogs. Yours and Nancy Zieman’s. Nancy Zieman is my inspiration for all my sewing projects and was first introduced to you on her show. Now I try to use your ideas to incorporate in my sewing projects.

I read way more blogs than I should, but I always try to make time for yours, Nancy Z’s, and Kelly Jackson of I Have A Notion. A couple we are good friends with are still fulltiming in their RV, so we read their travel blog too – ya just never know when our names will pop up!

I have an organizational tip for you – hope it’s not too late. You know those back-of-the-door (or in the closet) hanging shoe racks you can get at your favorite big-box store? They’re basically pockets of mesh (might be vinyl now) sewn to a backing, and hung vertically on a metal hanger. Well, I got me a small, over-the-door hook and now my hanging shoe organizer is hanging on the back of my sewing room door, and it holds all my rolled stabilizers. Everything’s in plain sight & easy to get to (and put back!). I was going to make one out of home-dec fabric and some mesh, but for $7, it was already done!

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